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Golden Dodges: How McDonald’s Avoids Paying Its Fair Share of Tax 1

GOLDEN DODGESGOLDEN DODGESHow McDonald’s Avoids

Paying Its Fair Share of Tax

1 Golden Dodges: How McDonald’s Avoids Paying Its Fair Share of Tax

McDonald’s is one of the world’s most recognized brands, and with restaurants in 119 countries, its iconic golden arches have spread to every corner of the globe. As it has expanded its footprint, the company also appears to have become a global tax dodger, increasingly structuring its business to avoid paying taxes, both in the U.S. and around the world.

Governments are increasing their scrutiny of McDonald’s tax avoidance strategies and taking action to hold McDonald’s accountable. For example, in 2013, French tax authorities launched an investigation into McDonald’s practice of paying royalties to Luxembourg and Switzerland subsidiaries, which reportedly allowed the company to avoid paying tax on €2.2 billion in revenue.1 In March 2015, it was reported that the European Commission had begun investigating McDonald’s tax arrangements in Luxembourg.2 This escalating scrutiny of McDonald’s tax practices has begun to translate into real economic consequences for the company. In its third quarter 2014 corporate filings, McDonald’s reported additional tax expenses of $260 million as a result of unfavorable tax rulings and a tax audit progression in international markets.3

This report details key tax avoidance strategies adopted by McDonald’s and highlights potentially unlawful practices in many of its most important markets. The major findings include:

As a result of the scale and seriousness of McDonald’s tax avoidance, governments around the world should investigate the lawfulness of McDonald’s tax arrangements and recover taxes where possible. Moreover, McDonald’s should cease routing billions of dollars in earnings to tax havens, and instead reinvest in the franchisees and front-line workers that are the heart of its business.

Over the past decade, McDonald’s appears to have taken advantage of corporate tax loopholes to avoid paying U.S. tax on nearly US$16 billion in foreign earnings, saving as much as US$1.7 billion in tax.

McDonald’s makes extensive use of tax havens, with at least 42 subsidiaries and branches in tax havens around the world, including 31 that the company does not disclose in its annual report.

McDonald’s uses royalty payments from franchisees and foreign subsidiaries in major markets to route profits to tax havens. These strategies may have allowed it to avoid up to US$1.8 billion in tax in those markets in the years between 2009 and 2013, including €1 billion across Europe and AU$497 million in Australia.4

McDonald’s holds most of its cash in tax havens – its subsidiaries in Luxembourg alone held US$1.9 billion in cash at the end of 2013, accounting for more than two-thirds of the company’s total cash assets.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

www.iuf.org


Transnational corporations like McDonald’s are using aggressive strategies to avoid billions of dollars in taxes every year. Some estimates put the cost of tax avoidance by U.S. transnational corporations alone at

more than US$100 billion per year.5 Tax avoidance by profitable corporations simultaneously deprives national governments of resources for education, health care and infrastructure and shifts the responsibility for funding public services to small businesses and working families.

As a result, governments around the world are increasingly taking action to combat tax avoidance. In 2013, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Group of 20 (G20) major economies launched a joint initiative to ensure that corporate profits are taxed where they are earned, instead of being routed to tax havens like Luxembourg and Switzerland.6 Similarly, the European Commission is conducting investigations into secret deals between corporations and tax

haven countries within Europe that allow the corporations to save billions of euros in tax.

McDonald’s is one of the world’s most recognized brands, having grown to become the world’s largest fast food company since opening its first store in Des Plaines, Illinois in 1955.7 The company had US$87.8 billion in systemwide sales in 2014, nearly twice the sales of its largest competitor.8 Its 36,000 stores serve approximately 69 million daily customers–nearly one percent of the world’s population visits a McDonald’s each and every day.9 In addition, the McDonald’s system employs 1.9 million people, making it the second-largest private sector employer in the world.10 McDonald’s is also one of the world’s largest purchasers of agricultural staples and its largest distributor of toys.11 In short, McDonald’s practices set the standard in the fast food industry and throughout the service sector, reaching all corners of the global economy.

As the economy has globalized, transnational corporations like McDonald’s have become increasingly reliant on income from intellectual property such as trademarks, patents and business methods. This type of income is highly mobile, allowing transnational corporations to shift profits to low-tax jurisdictions

and avoid paying tax in many of the countries in which they operate. More and more U.S. companies are strategically assigning earnings to subsidiaries outside the U.S., allowing for the indefinite deferral of U.S. tax on those earnings. The amount of earnings booked offshore for tax purposes by U.S.-based companies nearly doubled between 2008 and 2013, reaching more than US$2 trillion in total.12

McDonald’s is well-positioned to take advantage of the international loopholes and mismatched tax regimes that allow companies to pay very low tax rates on royalty income. Through its franchising model McDonald’s generates much of its revenue from royalty payments from franchisees rather than through direct operation of stores. McDonald’s franchisees pay royalties to the company – generally through a country-level subsidiary – in exchange for the right to use McDonald’s intellectual property, including both the brand itself and the business methods used to establish the brand and sell its products. Globally, more than

80 percent of McDonald’s stores are operated by franchisees and the company’s profit margin on franchise revenues is 81.7 percent, more than five times as high as its 15.9 percent margin for corporate store operations.13

This report examines the most significant ways in which McDonald’s may have structured its business to avoid taxes in many of the countries in which it operates. In addition to tax regulators in countries around the world, these potentially abusive tax practices should concern many stakeholders in the McDonald’s system, including investors, franchisees and workers. Investor groups have pointed to tax avoidance as a major reputational and bottom-line risk to companies, threatening the future profitability and growth of the company.14 From the perspective of franchisees, tax strategies which siphon profits from McDonald’s operating markets to tax havens may limit the ability of the company to reinvest in its stores and support franchisee success. McDonald’s workers, who are paid such low wages that they must rely on public benefits to make ends meet, might reasonably ask whether the money that the company holds in tax havens might be better used to invest in its employees.

INTRODUCTION

McDonald’s had US$87.8 billion in systemwide sales in 2014, nearly twice the sales of its largest competitor.


MCDONALD’S MINIMIZES ITS TAX BILL IN THE U.S.

The U.S. tax system aims to tax both the domestic and foreign earnings of U.S. companies. However, many transnational corporations, including McDonald’s, are able to take advantage of significant loopholes to avoid paying U.S. tax on foreign earnings. While the U.S. requires domestic companies to pay tax on income earned abroad, companies are able to defer paying U.S. tax on foreign earnings until those earnings are repatriated to the U.S. parent company. In practice, this can mean that tax liabilities on the profits assigned to foreign subsidiaries can be deferred indefinitely.15

Safeguards intended to prevent companies from using royalties and other passive income to shift profits from operating markets to tax havens without paying U.S. tax have also been progressively weakened over the past few decades. The combination of “check-the-box” rules allowing companies to disregard foreign subsidiaries for tax purposes and “look-through” rules allowing companies to defer tax on passive income such as royalties enables companies like McDonald’s to significantly reduce their tax obligations.16

Transnational corporations can also use accounting gimmicks to avoid disclosing these deferred tax liabilities to investors and the public. Companies can assert that profits earned from foreign operations have been permanently reinvested outside the U.S. This allows them to avoid recording deferred tax liabilities on these foreign earnings in the accounts submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).17

The amount of funds booked offshore for tax purposes has grown dramatically over the past few years, nearly doubling from 2008 to 2013, as companies increasingly take advantage of these loopholes.18 McDonald’s is a prime example of this trend. It disclosed that it had approximately US$3.9 billion

invested in subsidiaries and affiliates outside the U.S. in 2005.19 By the end of 2014 this amount had ballooned to approximately US$15.4 billion, almost four times the amount of earnings the company had shielded from U.S. tax just nine years before.20

If McDonald’s earnings were to be repatriated in the future, they would be subject to U.S. corporate income tax equal to the federal statutory rate of 35 percent less any foreign income taxes previously paid on those earnings.21 McDonald’s does not disclose what the potential tax liability on these earnings would be if repatriated. However, between 2005 and 2014 McDonald’s effective tax rate on foreign earnings was 24 percent. The total tax liability can be estimated by multiplying the company’s total funds invested abroad, US$15.4 billion, by the 11 percent difference between this rate and the U.S. federal statutory tax rate, resulting in US$1.7 billion in unpaid tax.22

It is also important to note that, despite the name, permanently reinvested funds are not actually stranded overseas. In fact, they are often accessible for use in the U.S. Cash held by foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies can be invested in U.S. bonds or securities or put into accounts with U.S. banks. Permanently reinvested funds can also improve a company’s balance sheet, lowering the cost of debt which can then be used to finance dividends and share buybacks.23 Over the past decade as its permanently reinvested funds ballooned, McDonald’s almost doubled its long-term debt while paying out a massive US$28.5 billion in the form of share buybacks.24

Note: Figures for 2014 likely were affected by the significant fall in the euro against the dollar, which results in a lower U.S. dollar valuation of assets held in Europe and denominated in euros.25

US$18,000

13,500

9,000

4,500

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

McDonald’s investments in foreign subsidiaries for which U.S. income tax is not recorded, 2005-2014, millions of U.S. dollars


Brazil’s Federal Prosecutor General sued McDonald’s Brazilian subsidiary over allegations that it had colluded with tax

officials to improperly reduce the company’s tax assessment. McDonald’s had been allowed to fully deduct a royalty of

five percent of sales for tax purposes, when it was only legally permitted to deduct one percent. McDonald’s potentially

avoided paying BRL$78.6 million in tax in 2000 and 2001 through this arrangement.26

The Venezuelan government ordered that certain McDonald’s restaurants in the country be closed temporarily as a

penalty for failure to follow tax rules.27

In Russia, the company was ordered to repay more than US$6 million in back taxes after the Russian Tax Service

accused McDonald’s of using unlicensed suppliers, and as a result selling milkshakes, ice cream and Chicken

McNuggets at an illegally discounted tax rate.28

The Venezuelan tax authorities again closed 118 of McDonald’s 132 restaurants in that country for irregularities in the

chain’s accounts, including ‘inconsistencies’ in the sales and purchases book, as well as in taxes collected.29

The United States Internal Revenue Service concluded a field examination of McDonald’s federal income tax returns

for 2007 and 2008 and issued notices of proposed adjustments related to foreign tax credits of approximately US$400

million claimed by the company, which it subsequently protested with the IRS Appeals Office.30

Tax authorities in Russia argued that McDonald’s should be paying the 18 percent tax rate on profits that apply to

restaurants when the company claimed that it was not a restaurant operator but rather a food retailer like a supermarket

in order to claim the lower tax rate afforded to those businesses of 10 percent. The company won on appeal.31

French authorities launched investigations against McDonald’s for allegedly avoiding corporate taxes on €2.2 billion in

revenue since 2009 by routing billions in royalties from its French operations to the Luxembourg-Swiss structure detailed

in this report.33

In its third quarter corporate filings, McDonald’s reported additional tax expenses of US$260 million as a result of

unfavorable tax rulings and tax audit progression in international markets.34

In its Annual Report, McDonald’s disclosed that the United States Internal Revenue Service had disputed McDonald’s

tax treatment related to transfer pricing of certain internal transactions and had proposed a series of adjustments

following an examination of McDonald’s 2009 and 2010 U.S. federal income tax returns.35

It was reported that the European Commission had begun investigating McDonald’s tax arrangements in Luxembourg,

requesting clarification from Luxembourg about the company’s affairs in that country.36 This followed the release of a

report by American and European unions, which detailed the ways in which McDonald’s was using royalty payments to

reduce its tax bill in countries across Europe.37

The Australian Tax Office investigated McDonald’s and its franchisees regarding the tax treatment of the sale of

franchises.32

McDonald’s tax practices have been investigated around the world

2005

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2013

As a result of structuring its business to reduce its tax liabilities in the U.S. and around the world, McDonald’s has faced increasing regulatory scrutiny over its tax practices in the past decade.


ROYALTY PAYMENTS TO TAX HAVENS MINIMIZE MCDONALD’S TAX BILL ABROAD

As noted above, companies that rely on income from intellectual property are increasingly using international tax loopholes and mismatched tax regimes to significantly lower their taxes around the world. Royalty payments are one common device used by transnational corporations to limit tax obligations.Typically, subsidiaries operating in high-tax jurisdictions make royalty payments to intellectual property holding companies in low-tax jurisdictions. The royalties are treated as tax deductible expenses in the operating country, reducing the company’s taxable income there. The same royalties may then receive preferential tax treatment in the destination country, such as being taxed at very low rates or not at all.38

Royalty payments from franchising and foreign subsidiaries are an important component of McDonald’s aggressive tax avoidance strategy, and the company has used royalties to significantly lower its tax bills around the world.

McDonald’s royalties from franchising abroad

McDonald’s is not only the world’s largest fast food company, it is also the world’s largest franchisor, earning billions in royalties from franchisees each year.39 In 2013, McDonald’s earned US$9.3 billion in payments from franchisees, 54 percent of which came from franchisees outside the U.S.40

In most non-U.S. markets, McDonald’s charges franchisees a royalty fee of five percent of sales. It also extracts the same royalty payment from its corporate stores in some countries,

effectively charging its corporate stores for the right to operate McDonald’s restaurants.41 Franchise royalties are intended as payment for both trademarks and ongoing support. Yet, in many countries the country-level subsidiaries seemingly pass through the full five percent royalty on behalf of their franchisees and corporate stores to foreign McDonald’s subsidiaries, often in low-tax jurisdictions. Those country-level subsidiaries do not appear to retain any of the royalties in-country to fund support

services for franchisees.42 Therefore, the pass-through of the full royalty amount to offshore subsidiaries likely includes a disguised distribution of profit from the franchising system. Any distribution of profit should be subject to corporate income tax in the country from which it originates.

When the entire royalty is sent to a tax haven, none of it is likely subject to corporate income tax in the coutnry in which it is generated. If it is paid to a foreign subsidiary in a low-tax jurisdiction, it is ultimately may be taxed at a very low rate, or may not be taxed anywhere at all.43

McDonald’s does not fully disclose its subsidiaries in tax haven jurisdictions

McDonald’s operates an extensive network of subsidiaries in tax havens, the majority of which it does not disclose, and is not required to disclose under SEC rules, in its annual report. In 2014, the company disclosed 11 subsidiaries in countries that are known tax havens.44 In fact, a thorough investigation of country-by-country corporate registries shows that McDonald’s has at least 42 subsidiaries and branches in tax haven countries, almost four times the number disclosed in its SEC filings.45 While some of these subsidiaries likely have legitimate operating purposes, the presence of so many affiliated entities in jurisdictions known for facilitating tax avoidance is troubling.As discussed in a previous section, McDonald’s holds a staggering US$15.4 billion in assets that are permanently

invested in operations outside the U.S. While McDonald’s does not disclose where it holds these funds, an analysis of the financial statements for McDonald’s Corporation and its foreign subsidiaries reveals that most of the company’s cash is held by its subsidiaries located in tax havens. Specifically, McDonald’s reported total cash holdings of US$2.8 billion in 2013. More than two-thirds of that amount, US$1.9 billion, was held by McDonald’s Luxembourg entities.46

McDonald’s reported total cash holdings of US$2.8 billion in 2013. More than two-thirds of that amount, US$1.9 billion, was held by McDonald’s Luxembourg entities.

Foreign franchisees andcorporate stores

Foreigncountry-levelsubsidiary

McDonald’stax havensubsidiary


Case Study: Europe and the Luxembourg StructureMcDonald’s European division is an important source of profits, accounting for nearly 40 percent of the company’s operating income in 2013.47 McDonald’s has grown to become the largest fast food company in Europe, with 7,850 stores and €20.5 billion in systemwide sales in the region in 2014.48

In 2009, McDonald’s made two significant changes to its European corporate structure which may have been part of a strategy to cut its tax liabilities in Europe.

Firstly, in early 2009, McDonald’s transferred its European intellectual property and franchising rights to McD Europe Franchising Sàrl, a Luxembourg-resident McDonald’s subsidiary with branches in both Switzerland and the U.S.49 This created a likely artificial structure with limited real economic activity. For example, despite receiving €833.8 million in royalties in 2013, the company had only 13 employees. Further, the company does not provide any indication in its Annual Accounts of ongoing investment in research and development.50

Secondly, in July 2009, following a number of changes to the tax treatment of royalties and intellectual property in Luxembourg and the U.K., McDonald’s moved its European headquarters from London to Geneva.51 It was widely speculated in the press that this move was tax related, with a McDonald’s spokesperson stating that the move “will enable us to conduct the strategic management of key international property rights, which includes the licensing of those rights to McDonald’s franchisees in Europe, from Switzerland.”52

Since the restructuring of McDonald’s operations in 2009, McD Europe Franchising Sàrl has become one of McDonald’s largest subsidiaries in Europe. In the five-year period from 2009 to 2013, over €3.7 billion in royalties have been paid to this entity. As a result, McDonald’s Luxembourg subsidiaries had accumulated nearly €2 billion in cash by the end of 2013.53

If McDonald’s is fully exploiting this structure to avoid paying taxes on the entire amount of royalties earned in Luxembourg, the lost tax revenue to European governments could exceed €1.0 billion for the period 2009 to 2013.54

It is important to note that both the royalties received and profits reported by McD Europe Franchising Sàrl increased significantly between 2009 and 2013, but its reported tax has remained both low and stable from year to year, resulting in its effective tax rate falling over that period.55 Despite receiving billions in royalties since its establishment, McD Europe Franchising Sàrl and its branches in the U.S. and Switzerland reported only €3.3 million in total taxes in 2013. In fact, McD Europe Franchising Sàrl reported less than a thousandth of that amount as payable on its Luxembourg operation – the entity’s country of incorporation – was an astonishingly low €3,235.56

2009-2013

Royalties: €3,708 million

Estimated taxes saved across Europe: €1,060 million

Taxes paid: €16 million

Employees: 13

McD Europe Franchising Sàrl

McDonald’s subsidiaries and branches in tax havens

-contains branch or fiscal residence

IRELAND

GIBRALTAR

BERMUDA 2

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9

3

1

1

10SWITZERLAND

NETHERLANDS

LUXEMBOURG

LICHTENSTEIN

SINGAPORE BRUNEI

HONG KONG


CONCLUSIONMcDonald’s appears to have structured its global its global business to avoid paying taxes both in the U.S. and in many of its major markets around the world. It has done so by engaging in aggressive and potentially abusive strategies. By using royalties to shift profits from foreign markets into tax havens, and avoiding paying tax on billions in foreign earnings in the U.S., McDonald’s may have avoided paying US$1.8 billion or more in taxes since 2009 alone.

Recommendations to governments and regulatorsMcDonald’s extraction of royalties from the countries in which it operates stores is not without serious consequences. As governments around the world introduce budget cuts to deal with crippling shortfalls and mounting debt, the tax avoidance practices of transnational corporations suggest an austere future, in which public expenditures are funded from taxes on a decreasing proportion of the economic activity taking place.

At the same time, the U.S. tax system has enabled McDonald’s and other major transnational corporations based in the U.S. to flout worldwide tax rules and stash a significant portion of their assets abroad in tax havens and financial secrecy jurisdic-tions. This trend creates an unsustainable drag on the economy, in which many flagship companies do not pay their fair share.Since 2005, corporate tax revenue has declined as a percentage of GDP in nearly three quarters of OECD countries. At the same time, corporate tax as a proportion of GDP declined by 17 percent in both the OECD and the U.S., a precipitous drop that contributes to the substantial budget crises facing governments around the world.84

The following steps are recommended to address the serious and growing problem of corporate tax avoidance in general, and at McDonald’s specifically.

Governments around the world should investigate McDonald’s and assess the lawfulness of the company’s tax arrangements, in particular the payment of significant royalties and service fees from operating markets to subsidiaries in low-tax jurisdictions. Should McDonald’s be found to have breached anti-avoidance rules or other national tax laws, countries should pursue McDonald’s for the full amount of taxes owed, and levy the maximum penalties allowable, due to the scope and seriousness of the practices outlined in this report.

Regulators in countries where McDonald’s operates or franchises stores should collaborate and proactively share information regarding ongoing investigations into the company’s tax practices.

Broadly, governments should increase their investment in human capital in tax agencies in order to give regulators the resources necessary to pursue corporate tax avoidance and recover unpaid tax.

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Emmanuel Paquette, “McDonald’s dans le viseur du fisc français pour une évasion de 2,2 milliards d’euros” L’Express, Jan. 21, 2014 http://lexpansion.lexpress.fr/entreprise/mcdo-dans-le-viseur-du-fisc-francais-pour-une-evasion-de-2-2-milliards-d-euros_424781.html

“McDonald’s under EU scrutiny for tax rulings in Luxembourg” Reuters, Mar. 31, 2015 http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/mar/31/mcdonalds-luxembourg-european-union-tax

“McDonald’s (MCD) CEO Don Thompson on Q3 2014 Results - Earnings Call Transcript” Oct. 21, 2014 http://seekingalpha.com/article/2580575-mcdonalds-mcd-ceo-don-thompson-on-q3-2014-results-earnings-call-transcript?part=single

All currency translations in this report use average annual exchange rates as reported by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. IRS tables available here: http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Yearly-Average-Currency-Exchange-Rates (accessed Feb. 4, 2015)

Jane G. Gravelle, “Tax Havens: International Tax Avoidance and Evasion” Congressional Research Service, Jan. 15, 2015 https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R40623.pdf

“Closing tax gaps - OECD launches Action Plan on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting” and “About BEPS”, OECD accessed April 15, 2015 at http://www.oecd.org/tax/closing-tax-gaps-oecd-launches-action-plan-on-base-erosion-and-profit-shifting.htm and http://www.oecd.org/tax/beps-about.htm

McDonald’s Corporation website, “Our Story” (accessed Feb. 4 2015) http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/our_story.html

McDonald’s Corporation, SEC Form 10-K, Feb. 24, 2015, p. 11; Piper Jaffray reports that YUM! Brands worldwide system sales in 2013 were $49,184 million, Piper Jaffray Restaurant Benchmark Analysis, “Ninth Annual Cookbook” July 2014, p. 8

McDonald’s Corporation website, “Our Story” (accessed Feb. 4 2015) http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/our_story.html

Ruth Alexander, “Which is the world’s biggest employer?” BBC News, Mar. 19, 2012 http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-17429786

Leslie Patton, “McDonald’s Pursuit of the Perfect French Fry,” Bloomberg, Apr. 19, 2012 http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2012-04-19/mcdonalds-pursuit-of-the-perfect-french-fry; and Ryan Guenette, The Motley Fool, reprinted by USA Today, “Five things you didn’t know about McDonald’s,” Nov. 19, 2013 http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/markets/2013/11/19/five-things-about-mcdonalds/3643557/

Audit Analytics, “Overseas Earnings of Russell 1000 Tops $2 Trillion in 2013,” Apr. 1, 2014 http://www.auditanalytics.com/blog/overseas-earnings-of-russell-1000-tops-2-trillion-in-2013/; and “Offshore Shell Games 2014: The Use of Offshore Tax Havens by Fortune 500 Companies”, Citizens for Tax Justice and U.S. PIRG Education Fund, available at http://ctj.org/pdf/offshoreshell2014.pdf

McDonald’s Corporation, SEC Form 10-K, Feb. 24, 2015, pp. 11, 19-20

Steve Johnson and Madison Marriage, “The $82bn listed-company tax gap” The Financial Times, Apr. 12, 2015

Kitty Richards and John Craig, “Offshore Corporate Profits: The Only Thing ‘Trapped’ Is Tax Revenue” Center for American Progress, Jan. 9, 2014 https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/tax-reform/report/2014/01/09/81681/offshore-corporate-profits-the-only-thing-trapped-is-tax-revenue/

“Don’t Renew the Offshore Tax Loopholes”, Citizens for Tax Justice, Aug. 2, 2012

“Deferred taxes on foreign earnings: A road map”, pwc, Sep. 2012, http://www.pwc.com/en_US/us/tax-accounting-services/newsletters/tax-accounting/assets/pwc-deferred-taxes-foreign-earnings-road-map.pdf

“Offshore Shell Games 2014: The Use of Offshore Tax Havens by Fortune 500 Companies”, Citizens for Tax Justice and U.S. PIRG Education Fund

McDonald’s Corporation, SEC Form 10-K, Feb. 27, 2006, p. 31


Kitty Richards and John Craig, “Offshore Corporate Profits: The Only Thing ‘Trapped’ Is Tax Revenue” Center for American Progress, Jan. 9, 2014

McDonald’s cumulative provision for income tax outside the U.S. between 2005 and 2014 was divided by the cumulative income before provision for income tax outside the U.S. for the same period to estimate the weighted average effective tax rate on foreign earnings. McDonald’s Corporation, Annual Report 2014, Form 10-K, Feb. 24, 2015, p. 41; McDonald’s Corporation, Annual Report 2011, Form 10-K, Feb. 24, 2011, p. 38; McDonald’s Corporation, Annual Report 2008, Form 10-K, Feb. 25, 2009, p. 43; McDonald’s Corporation, Annual Report 2005, Form 10-K, Feb. 27, 2006, p. 44


McDonald’s Corporation, SEC Forms 10-K, released Feb. 24, 2015, pp. 31-32; Feb. 24, 2012, p. 29; Feb. 25, 2009, p. 34; and Feb. 27, 2006, pp. 35-36

Mike Bird, “The Euro Just Plunged To A 9-Year Low And Analysts Say It Could Fall Even Further” Business Insider, Jan. 5, 2015 http://www.businessinsider.com/the-euro-just-plunged-to-a-9-year-low-and-analysts-say-it-could-fall-even-further-2015-1#ixzz3XPUdAxFd

David Roberto R. Soares da Silva, “Brazil’s Federal Attorney General Sues Tax Officials, McDonald’s” Tax Analysts Worldwide Tax Daily, June 7, 2005

“Ordenan cierre temporal de McDonalds en Venezuela,” AP, Oct. 10, 2008 http://www.eleconomista.net/empresas/108412-ordenan-cierre-temporal-de-mcdonalds-en-venezuela-html

Shaun Walker, “McDonald’s faces 3m back-tax bill in Russia,” The Independent, Dec. 5, 2007 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/mcdonalds-faces-3m-backtax-bill-in-russia-762845.html

“Ordenan cierre temporal de McDonalds en Venezuela,” AP, Oct. 10, 2008 http://www.eleconomista.net/empresas/108412-ordenan-cierre-temporal-de-mcdonalds-en-venezuela-html


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Andrew Osborn, “McDonald’s argues it is a supermarket rather than restaurant in Russia” The Telegraph, July 13, 2011 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/8634781/McDonalds-argues-it-is-a-supermarket-rather-than-restaurant-in-Russia.html

Susannah Moran, “ATO probing McDonald’s franchises,” The Australian, Mar. 11, 2013 http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/ato-probing-mcdonalds-franchises/story-e6frg8zx-1226594303461

Emmanuel Paquette, “McDonald’s dans le viseur du fisc français pour une évasion de 2,2 milliards d’euros” L’Express, Jan. 21, 2014

McDonald’s (MCD) CEO Don Thompson on Q3 2014 Results - Earnings Call Transcript” Oct. 21, 2014


“McDonald’s under EU scrutiny for tax rulings in Luxembourg” Reuters, Mar. 31, 2015

Unhappy Meal, http://www.waronwant.org/about-uts/publications/doc_download/129-unhappy-meal-1-billion-in-tax-avoidance-on-the-menu-at-mcdonalds

Jane G. Gravelle, “Tax Havens: International Tax Avoidance and Evasion,” Congressional Research Service, Jan. 23, 2009, pp. 9-10, 15

Franchise Times, “Top 200 Franchise Systems,” 2014. http://www.franchisetimes.com/pdf/2014/Top200-2014.pdf


For example, McDonald’s Nederland B.V. Annual Report 2012, p. 19 lists €3,601,000 paid as royalties for McOpCo (corporate-operated) stores.

Royalty amounts from McDonald’s Nederland B.V. Annual Report 2012; McDonald’s Development Italy, Inc. Annual Accounts, 2012, p.12; McDonald’s Development Italy, Inc., Annual Report 2013, p.13; McDonald’s Sistemas de España, Inc. Annual Accounts, 2010, Note 18 Ingresos y gastos de explotación; McDonald’s Sistemas de España, Inc. Annual Accounts, 2011, 2012, 2013 Note 19 Ingresos y gastos de explotación. All systemwide sales estimates in this report are from Euromonitor International, Passport, Brand shares (by global brand name), historic, Foodservice Value RSP, unless otherwise specified.

Jane G. Gravelle, “Tax Havens: International Tax Avoidance and Evasion,” Congressional Research Service, Jan. 23, 2009, p. 15

List of tax havens were sourced from Offshore Shell Games 2014: The Use of Offshore Tax Havens by Fortune 500 Companies, Citizens for Tax Justice and U.S. PIRG Education Fund, available at http://ctj.org/pdf/offshoreshell2014.pdf; McDonald’s Corporation, Annual Report 2014, Form 10-K, Feb. 24, 2015, Exhibit 21

The list of subsidiaries was sourced from company registries and corporate documents and includes: McDonald’s Canada Risk Management Ltd. [Bermuda]; OPNAD Systems Ltd. [Bermuda]; Golden Arches (B) Sdn Bhd. [Brunei]; McDonald’s (Gibraltar) Ltd. [Gibraltar]; McDonald’s China Investment Company Ltd. [Hong Kong]; McDonald’s Restaurants (Hong Kong) Ltd. [Hong Kong]; McDonald’s China Development Co. (branch) [Hong Kong]; Global Restaurant Operations of Ireland Ltd. [Ireland]; Golden Arches Insurance Ltd. [Ireland]; McDonald’s Marketing Co. [Ireland]; McDonald’s Restaurants of Ireland Ltd. [Ireland]; Golden Arches of Spain S.A. (fiscal residence) [Ireland]; McDonald’s Restaurants AG [Lichtenstein]; Luxembourg McD Investments Sàrl [Luxembourg]; McD Europe Holdings Sàrl [Luxembourg]; McD Luxembourg Holdings Sàrl [Luxembourg]; Moore Food Sàrl [Luxembourg]; McD Europe Franchising Sàrl [Luxembourg]; Coöperatieve Vereniging “McDonald’s Marketing Cooperatie” B.A. [Netherlands]; Golden Arches European Holdings B.V. [Netherlands]; Golden Arches Finance of Holland C.V. [Netherlands]; McDonald’s European Finance Company B.V. [Netherlands]; McDonald’s Nederland B.V. [Netherlands]; Golden Arches Holdings Pte. Ltd. [Singapore]; Golden Arches Property Resources Pte. Ltd. [Singapore]; Makan Holdings Pte. Ltd. [Singapore]; McD APMEA Franchising Pte. Ltd. [Singapore]; McD APMEA Holdings Pte. Ltd. [Singapore]; McD Singapore Holdings Pte. Ltd. [Singapore]; McDonald’s APMEA (branch) [Singapore]; McDonald’s Restaurants Pte. Ltd. [Singapore]; McD Asia Pacific LLC, (branch) [Singapore]; Gemacona SA [Switzerland]; HAVI Logistics GmbH [Switzerland]; Lully.01 SA [Switzerland]; Marmacona AG [Switzerland]; McD Europe Franchising Sàrl (branch) [Switzerland]; McDonald’s Suisse Development Sàrl [Switzerland]; McDonald’s Suisse Franchise Sàrl [Switzerland]; McDonald’s Suisse Holding Sàrl [Switzerland]; McDonald’s Suisse Management and Services Sàrl [Switzerland]; and McDonald’s Suisse Restaurants Sàrl [Switzerland].

McDonald’s Corporation, SEC Form 10-K, Feb. 24, 2015, p. 31; McD Luxembourg Holdings Sàrl, Annual Accounts 2013, p. 2; and McD Europe Franchising Sàrl, Annual Accounts 2013, p.4


McDonald’s Europe Virtual Press Office, “A Quick Snapshot” (accessed Feb. 4, 2015) http://www.mcdpressoffice.eu/aboutus.php. McDonald’s reports franchised and corporate sales by region in its Annual Report. McDonald’s Corporation, SEC Form 10-K, Feb. 24, 2015, pp. 19-20

McD Europe Franchising Sàrl, Annual Accounts 2013, Note 1, p.11

McD Europe Franchising reports its employee numbers in its Notes to the Annual Accounts. McD Europe Franchising Sàrl, Annual Accounts 2013, p.15

Julia Kollewe, “McDonald’s to move European head office to Switzerland,” Guardian, July 13, 2009. http://www.theguardian.com/business/2009/jul/13/mcdonalds-headquarters-move-geneva

Ibid.

McD Europe Franchising Sàrl, Annual Accounts 2013, Profit and Loss Account, and pp. 2 and 4

The total amount of tax saved in operating countries by McDonald’s through the use of McD Europe Franchising Sàrl was estimated by multiplying the annual turnover of McD Europe Franchising Sàrl by the weighted average tax rate for Europe of 28.6 percent. This weighted average was weighted by McDonald’s systemwide sales in McDonald’s largest ten markets in the European Union: France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, Poland and Denmark. Standard tax rates were sourced from KPMG, “Corporate tax rates table” (accessed Feb. 6, 2015) unless otherwise noted.

McD Europe Franchising Sàrl, Annual Accounts 2013, Profit and Loss Account and Note 13, p. 15

McD Europe Franchising Sàrl’s effective tax rate was calculated by dividing the income taxes reported in the Profit and Loss Account by the pre-tax income. McD Europe Franchising Sàrl, Annual Accounts 2010-2013, Profit and Loss Account

McDonald’s Europe Virtual Press Office, “A Quick Snapshot” (accessed Apr. 24, 2015) and McDonald’s France Corporate Website, accessed Jan. 20, 2015, https://www.mcdonalds.fr/entreprise/entreprise/qui-sommes-nous

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Lucy Fancourt, Bredesen Lewis and Nicholas Majka, “Born in the USA, Made in France: How McDonald’s Succeeds in the Land of Michelin Stars” Knowledge@Wharton, Jan. 3, 2012, http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/born-in-the-usa-made-in-france-how-mcdonalds-succeeds-in-the-land-of-michelin-stars/

These subsidiaries were McDonald’s Est Parisien, McDonald’s Ouest Parisien, McDonald’s Paris Sud, McDonald’s Paris Nord, McDonald’s Lyon Restaurants, McDonald’s Est Restaurants, McDonald’s Velizy Restaurant, Oligarche, Gerly Road, McDonald’s Grand Roanne Restaurants, McDonald’s Grenoble Restaurants, McDonald’s Nice Restaurants, and McDonald’s Marseille Restaurants

McDonald’s France SA, Annual Report, 2013.

Le Plan Comptable General http://www.memocompta.fr/pcg/classe-6-comptes-charges/

Annual Accounts for Arches Avignon, Drive le Pontet, Archangles

McDonald’s Est Parisien, McDonald’s Ouest Parisien, McDonald’s Paris Sud, McDonald’s Paris Nord, and McDonald’s Lyon Restaurants (corporate stores), Annual Reports 2012-2013.

McDonald’s France SA, Annual Accounts, 2008-2013, Compte de Résultat and p. 12

John Neighbour, “Transfer pricing: Keeping it at arm’s length,” OECD Observer, updated July 3, 2008 http://www.oecdobserver.org/news/archivestory.php/aid/670/Transfer_pricing:_Keeping_it_at_arms_length.html

Royalty amounts were multiplied by the standard corporate tax rate in France of 34.43 percent. In addition, companies with turnover over €250 million were subject to temporary additional tax surcharges of 5.0% in 2011 and 2012 and 10.7% in 2013. Deloitte France Tax Guide http://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/Tax/dttl-tax-franceguide-2014.pdf, p.10

Unpaid taxes amounts were multiplied by the maximum penalty allowable in France of 80 percent.

McDonald’s France SA, Annual Accounts, 2008-2013, Compte de Résultat

McDonald’s Corporation, SEC Form 8-k, Jan. 23, 2015; McDonald’s Australia Corporate Website, accessed Feb. 28, 2015, https://mcdonalds.com.au/about-maccas/maccas-story

McDonald’s Australia Corporate Website, accessed Feb. 28, 2015, https://mcdonalds.com.au/sites/mcdonalds.com.au/files/mcdonalds_australia_franchising_overview.pdf

Ibid.

McDonald’s Australia Ltd., Financial Report 2013, Statement of Comprehensive Income, as well as the Revenues and Expenses note

Ibid. McDonald’s Australia Ltd. reported its sales from corporate stores as AU$952.5 million in 2013. This figure was multiplied by five percent to estimate the royalties on corporate store sales.

Ibid. as well as the Report’s Related Parties disclosures. Madeleine Heffernan, “McDonald’s sales reach $4b in Australia” The Sydney Morning Herald, March 18, 2015 http://www.smh.com.au/business/retail/mcdonalds-sales-reach-4b-in-australia-20150318-143gru.html

John Neighbour, “Transfer pricing: Keeping it at arm’s length,” OECD Observer, updated July 3, 2008

The service fees paid in 2013 were AU$367.6 million. This was multiplied by the standard corporate tax rate of 30 percent to estimate the tax owed on that amount in 2013 as AU$110.3 million. McDonald’s Australia Ltd.’s Income tax expense in 2013 was AU$98.1 million. McDonald’s Australia Ltd., Financial Report 2013, Statement of Comprehensive Income

“Tax laws amendment (countering tax avoidance and multinational profit shifting) bill 2013: Explanatory memorandum” House of Representatives, http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/legislation/ems/r4965_ems_b7b5685c-d33d-4c8c-8d95-24a621d41342/upload_pdf/377313.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf

The cumulative service fees paid by McDonald’s Australia Ltd. in the years from 2009 to 2013 were AU$1,656.9 million. This figure was multiplied by the standard corporate tax rate of 30 percent to estimate the tax owed.

“GAAR rising” Ernst & Young, Feb. 2013 http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/GAA_rising/$FILE/GAAR_rising_1%20Feb_2013.pdf

McDonald’s Corporation, SEC Form 10-K, Feb. 24, 2015, Exhibit 21; McD Asia Pacific LLC, Singapore Branch Financial Statements, 2013


“Financial Secrecy Index”, Tax Justice Network http://www.financialsecrecyindex.com/

McD Asia Pacific LLC, Singapore Branch Financial Statements, 2011 and 2013

OECD Stat.Extracts, corporate tax revenue as a % of GDP, accessed Apr. 15, 2015 http://stats.oecd.org/index.aspx?DataSetCode=REV

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